August 29th, 2024
Langlois Celebrates Stellar Success in 2025 Best Lawyers in Canada
60 colleagues in the spotlight this year!
William Gagné
Lawyer
Key practice areas
Labour and Employment Law, Occupational Health and Safety, Federal Labour and Employment Law
William Gagné focuses his practice on occupational health and safety. His expertise covers prevention and compensation for work-related accidents and illnesses, as well as issues relating to the allocation of costs for employment injuries. He also advises clients on financing the compensation plan of the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST), as well as on penal offences under CNESST jurisdiction.
Clients prize William’s pragmatic approach. He is called on to advise a wide range of private- and public-sector employers and represents them before judicial and administrative bodies such as the Court of Québec and the Administrative Labour Tribunal as well as in grievance arbitration. Leveraging his broad knowledge of labour and employment law, William is able to give legal opinions on highly complex strategic issues and regularly advises clients on labour relations, absenteeism management and termination.
He is regularly invited as a speaker for clients and organizations specializing in occupational health and safety. His expertise in labour and employment law was recently recognized by his inclusion in the 2024 and 2025 editions of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in Canada.
Before joining the firm, he practised first with a major organization providing labour relations consulting and grievance arbitration representation, and then in the litigation department of the Association de la construction du Québec.
William is a member of the Young Bar of Montréal and is actively involved in Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Montréal, where he had mentored for many years and has been a board member since 2023.
- Best Lawyers in Canada: Ones to Watch – Labour and Employment Law, 2024-2025
- Young Bar of Montréal, Member, since 2017
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Montreal, Member of the Board of Directors, since 2023
- Co-author: “La CEGQ comme intervenante devant le TAT : un précédent d’intérêt pour ses membres” [The CEGQ intervenes before the Tribunal administratif du travail: A precedent of interest for its members], Chronique juridique, Corporation des entrepreneurs généraux du Québec, October 7, 2024.
- Co-author: “Recent developments in workplace health and safety” April 28, 2023.
- Co-author: “Occupational health and safety: preparing for the interim regime”, March 15, 2022.
- Author: “Workplace injuries in the age of remote work”, March 9, 2022.
- Co-author: “The coming into force of An Act to modernize the occupational health and safety regime: What you need to know”, November 4, 2021.
- Co-author: “Introduction of Bill 59, An Act to modernize the occupational health and safety regime: Major changes expected”, November 5, 2020.
- Speaker: Revue des décisions récentes en matière de santé et de sécurité du travail [A review of recent decisions in occupational health and safety], Revue fédérale 2023 : nouveautés et modifications réglementaires en SST, organized by the Centre patronal SST, webinar, October 18, 2023.
- Speaker: Revue des décisions récentes en matière de santé et de sécurité du travail [A review of recent decisions in occupational health and safety], Revue fédérale 2022 : nouveautés et faits saillants en SST, organized by the Centre patronal SST, webinar, October 20, 2022.
- Co-speaker: La gestion de l’absentéisme et les réflexes à maîtriser [Managing absenteeism and improving your reflexes], Langlois Knowledge, webinar, September 21, 2022.
- Speaker: L’accommodement raisonnable à l’heure de la modernisation du régime de santé et de sécurité québécois [Reasonable accommodation in an era focused on the modernization of Québec’s health and safety regime], organized by the Comité Inter-Entreprises du Montréal Métropolitain, webinar, April 29, 2022.
- Co-speaker: L’année en rafale – droit scolaire [A quick review of the year – Education law], Langlois Knowledge, webinar, April 26, 2022.
- Co-speaker: L’absentéisme [Absenteeism], Langlois Knowledge, webinar, March 29 and 30, 2022.
- Speaker: PL 59 sur la modernisation du régime de santé et sécurité du travail, quels sont les impacts et comment vous y préparer [Bill 59 – An Act to modernize the occupational health and safety regime: Impact and preparedness], organized by the Fédération des établissements d’enseignement privés, webinar, January 12, 2022.
- Speaker: Revue des jugements en SST – 2021 [Review of the case law in OHS – 2021], Entreprises de compétence fédérale : revue, nouveautés et faits saillants 2021, organized by the Centre patronal SST, webinar, October 21, 2021.
- Quoted: “Invalidité : pour un retour couronné de succès” [Disability: For a successful return to work], Avantages, article by Didier Bert, January 4, 2023.
LL.B., Université de Sherbrooke, 2016